Tens of thousands protest conditions in Brazil

SAO PAULO, Brazil — Tens of thousands of protesters in Brazil held rallies in at least 11 capital cities Monday, the fifth straight day of demonstrations in opposition to such issues as rising public bus fares and police violence.

Marches coordinated on social networks took place in cities including Sao Paulo, Rio de Janeiro and Belo Horizonte, where police fired tear gas and rubber bullets on protesters, and Brasilia, where a small group climbed onto the roof of Congress.

In Sao Paulo, estimates indicated at least 65,000 people filled the main arteries of South America’s largest city in the fifth and largest protest in two weeks organized by the student-heavy “Free Fare Movement” against a 10-cent hike in the city’s bus fare. Support for the group has mushroomed since a widely publicized crackdown by military police Thursday that left 120 protesters and journalists injured.

“I think we’re seeing something that started with the legitimate complaint about the bus fare, but now it’s clear we’re now seeing a more general dissatisfaction, especially amongst the young,” said Laurindo Leal Filho, professor of sociology at